Yamada Monogatari: The War God's Son

by Richard Parks

  sode – Large shoulder guards made from leather in the early Heian period, later of iron

  sohei – A warrior attached to a Buddhist temple. Possibly a monk, but more likely a lay-brother, or even a mercenary.

  tachi – A long, thin sword originally designed for use on horseback.

  yin-yang – A philosophy rooted in both the balance between and interconnectedness of all things: light/dark, male/female, life/death, etc. Probably derived from Daoism via China.

  yoroi hitatare – Hitatare and hakama in matching fabric.

  youkai – Generic term for a monster, or pretty much any supernatural creature.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Richard Parks has been writing and publishing science fiction and fantasy longer than he cares to remember . . . or probably can remember. His work has appeared in Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, and several “year’s best” anthologies. Other adventures featuring Yamada no Goji were collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (Prime Books, 2013). A novel, Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate, was published in 2014, and a fourth novel concerning Lord Yamada, Yamada Monogatari: The Emperor in Shadow, will be published by Prime in late 2016. Parks blogs at Den of Ego and Iniquity Annex #3, also known as richard-parks.com.